Railway signaling device.



T. J. KELLY.

RAILWAY SIGNALING DEVICE.

APPLIOATION FILED JULY 10,1913.

Patented Apr. 21, 1914 3 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

THOMAS J. KELL x Snnentor witnesses attorneys COLUMBIA FLANOGRAPH CCmWASHINGTON D. c.

T. J; KELLY.

RAILWAY SIGNALING DEVICE.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 10,1913.

1,094,217, Patented Apr. 21, 1914.

8 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

IHIIHI Lllll llll" THOMAS J AELLX Znwentot aitornegs T. J. KELLY.

RAILWAY SIGNALING DEVICE.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 10,1913.

1,094,217 Paten ted Apr. 21, 1914.

s SHEETS-SHEET a.

THOMAS J. KELLY. Bnnentor witnesses I rrnn STATES PATENT orrrcn.

THOMAS J. KELLY, 01? DENVER, COLORADO.

RAILWAY SIGNALING DEVICE.

inseam.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, TI-IoMAs J. KELLY, a citizen of the United States, residing at Denver, in the county of Denver and State of Colorado, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Railway Signaling Devices; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to devices designed to fit over the headlights of locomotives and may also be used as a signaling means under certain conditions, and an object of the invention is to provide such a device which can be operated from the locomotive cab by means of suitable mechanism.

A further object of the invention is to provide a hood designed to fit over the headlights of locomotives which shall present an area for the accommodation of larger side numbers than those now in use on locomo tives to make the same plainly visible.

A further object of the invention is to provide a hood movable from operative to inoperative positions and vice versa, under the control of the engineer, wherein the engine number is displayed in front of the engine when desired.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a shield for the intense light used at present in locomotive headlights, and provide means whereby the light may illuminate a number plate which may be moved into position when it is desired to cut off the rays of the light from the lamp.

With these and other objects in View, the invention consists in certain novel constructions, combinations and arrangements of the parts which will be hereinafter described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings wherein similar reference characters designate corresponding parts: Figure 1 shows the invention in side elevation as applied to a locomotive headlight, the dotted line position indicating a position of the hood when not in use as a shield for the headlight. Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the device shown in full lines in Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a vertical section taken through the hood showing the plate therein in an intermediate position; I shows the number plate as the same appears from in front of the hood; Fig. 5 shows diagrammatically one method of oper- Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed July 10', 1913.

Patented Apr. 21, 1914.

Serial No. 778,325.

ating the hood; Fig. 6 shows a side elevation of a valve controlling handle located within the cab; and Fig. 7 is an end view of said handle showing the valve associated therewith.

The headlights used on locomotives at present are usually provided with electric or other intense lights which are of such high candle power and so reflected as to make the same objectionable in a station or track yard, and one of the results of the present invention is to eliminate this undesirable feature. Also, when a train is switched to a side track, in order to allow another train to pass, it is required of the engineer of each train that he get the number of the locomotive on the other train. These numbers are now generally placed on the side of the headlight of a locomotive and if they be indistinct, or if the passing train be moving fast, then the engineers will have much diiiiculty in reading the numbers properly, and experience has shown that many accidents result from this cause. The glare of the headlight prevents the reading of any number that might be placed on the front of the engine.

The present invention aims to overcome these difliculties by providing a hood suitably actuated which can be slipped over the headlight at the desired time in such a way as to shut off the glare of the headlight but allow the headlight to coincidently illuminate a number plate in front as 9 illustrated at Fig. 4, and at the same time afi'ord increased area upon which a number of the loco-motive larger than those now in general use may be placed upon the side of the hood, means being provided for obscuring the number on the side of the hood when the same is over the headlight insomuch as the side number would, in this position, be inverted. The hood is designed to swing backwardly away from the headlight when not in use as a shield or for displaying the front number and is provided with a plate acted upon by gravity to close the hood so as to protect lights contained within the hood for illuminating the number of the locomotive.

Corresponding and like parts are referred to in the following description and indicated in all the views of the drawings by the same reference characters.

Referring to the drawings, particularly to Fig. 1, l designates a locomotive boiler smoke box upon which is supported in any suitable way, a bracket 2, designed to carry the ordinary headlight 3, the lens facing which, is shown at 1. Extending upwardly from the bracket or platform 2, on each side of the lamp 3, is a support 5, which has journaled therein as at 6, a trunnion 7 of an 2 and are secured to the arms 8 by means of brackets 12. The interior of the hood may be provided with incandescent or other lamps 13, two being shown in the drawing, for the purpose of illuminating the interior of the hood for a purpose to be described hereinafter. These sides are preferably made of a framework of structural steel with side boards 1-1 set in said framework which said side boards are preferably made of light weight opaque material and serve to completely inclose the lights or lamps 13 except for perforations therein forming the side numbers as shown in Fig. 1. In order that the interior of the hood may be accessible 7 for the purpose of changing the lights 13 when the locomotive is in a yard and it is desired to keep the hood closed, one side of the hood is hinged as at 15 to one of the arms 8. By reason of this construction it will be possible to swing one of the sides open, and renew the lamps. Any clamp indicated generally at 16, may be used for the purpose of holding the hinged side in place 7 turning the hood from the headlight, there under normal conditions. Provided upon opposite ends of one of the sides 10, are bearings 17, which receive a pin 18 secured with offsets 20 which engage lugs 21 formed on the frame of the hood for a purpose to be described hereinafter. The number of the engine is designed to be formed in both of the sideboards 1 1 underneath the plates 19, the number being shown dotted, and in inverted position in the right hand part of Fig. 1. As illustrative of one means of is provided an air cylinder 22, the piston of which has a rod 23 provided with teeth to form a rack, which rack engages an arcuate 1 p1n1on 24c, rotatably mounted 1n the bearlngs. The piston rod has a rack whlch rests upon a roller 25 which may be journaled in one. of the supports 5, so that the outer end of the rack is supported and held normally in contact with the arcuate pinion 24.

In Fig. 5 is shown one system of piping which may be used for the purpose of actuating the rack 23, wherein the pipe 26 is connected to any source of fluid pressure, preferably air, this pipe being provided with two branch pipes 27 and 28, each of which is provided respectively with three-way valves 29 and 30, which are connected together by means of a two-part handle 31 shown in Figs. 6 and 7. Beyond the valves 29 and 30, the pipes 27 and 28 are enlarged as at 32 and 33, respectively, the pipe 32 being provided with a coupling entering one end of the cylinder 22, while the pipe 33 is connected by a corresponding coupling to the other end of the cylinder The valves 29 and 30 are connected in operative position, and are both moved together with the handle 31 as is obvious from Figs. (5 and 7. As the handle is moved in one direction, air will be admitted from pipe 26 through pipe 27, and valve 29, to the enlarged pipe 32 from which it is passed from one end of the cylinder 22 and will be effective in forcing the piston outwardly throwing the hood into operative position over the headlight, and the valve 30 will be open to exhaust so that no air will enter within the cylinder 22. If the handle 31 be turned in the opposite direction, the revcrse conditions will obtain when air will be forced into the outer end of the cylinder 22 to draw the rack 23 inwardly and thereby return the hood to its inoperative position, and the pipe 32 will be open to exhaust through the three-way valve 29.

In the operation of the device, when the hood is in the position shown in full lines in Fig. 1, and it is desired to return the same to the dotted line position shown in the same figure, the handle 31 which is located in the cab of the locomotive, will be moved in the proper direction by the engineer so as to force the rack outwardly and thereby rotate the arcuate pinion 2 1 in such a way as to lift the hood from the headlight and throw the same to the dotted line position. In the new position, it will be seen that the side number of the locomotive which was formerly inverted, will now appear right side up, and that the number plate 19 will swing downwardly under the force of gravity to disclose the side number of the engine. Therefore, whenever the side numbers of the locomotive are right side up, that is to say when the hood is back of the headlight, the number on each side thereof will be visible. These numbers may be cut in the sideboards 1s or may be made transparent in any other manner so that the lamps 13 contained within the hood will be effective in illuminating the side number carried by the hood. The offset 20 and the pin 21 are provided so that in either position the plate 19 will be acted upon by gravity as soon as the same passes through the new position just above the headlight, and it will also be noted that the offset 20 being provided on each end of the pin 18 fixes the same within the bearing 17. It will be noted that there is hinged in the lower left hand corner of the hood, as shown in full lines in Fig. 1, a guard 34: which is free to swing through an arc of 90 as indicated in the drawings, the guard lying upon the floor of the hood when the latter is shielding the headlight, while the guard will swing to the position shown in dotted position in Fig. 1 when the hood is turned back. In this way, it will be seen that the end of the hood which was necessarily open in order to admit rays of light from the headlight will now be closed so that the lamps 13 will be protected. The base or bracket 2 is extended as at 35, to form a support for the hood when the same is over the headlight. In order to support the hood when the latter is in its rearmost position, there are provided angle irons 36 which are disposed so as to receive the flaring sides of the hood, these angle irons being supported by means of braces 37 secured in any way to the locomotive. Extending from the locomotive and secured thereon, is a plurality of brackets 38 which serve to hold the arcuate shield 39, the lower ends of which are secured to the braces 37. This forms an ettective housing for the hood when not in use, and protects the same from the smoke stack (not shown) and from flying material which might otherwise be thrown against it.

\Vhat I claim is:

1. A cover for locomotive headlights comprising a hood adapted to shield light from the headlight, means for moving said hood from shielding position, a number appearing upon the hood, and pivoted means carried by the hood adapted to disclose the number printed on the hood as the latter swings from shielding position.

2. A cover for locomotive headlights comprising hood, a designation provided thereon, a plate pivoted to the hood adapted to cover the designation, the designation being invert-ed when the hood is shielding the light, and means for moving the hood from shielding position to a position where the plate will swing to disclose the designation right side up.

o, A cover for locomotive headlights comprising a hood, numerals on the hood in inverted position when the hood is shielding light from the headlight, means for swinging said hood through a vertical arc of substantially one hundred and eighty degrees, and a plate pivoted to the hood adapted to cover the numerals when they are inverted, but adapted to swing to disclose the same when the numerals are right side up.

4. A cover for locomotive headlights comprising a hood adapted to shield light from the headlight and swing in a vertical arc, one side of the hood being open, numerals appearing upon the hood, means within the hood for illuminating the numerals, a guard pivoted to said hood adjacent the open side thereof, and means for swinging the hood in a vertical are, said guard adapted to swing to close the open side of the hood, as the latter swings in a vertical are.

5. A cover for locomotive headlights comprising a hood adapted to shield the light from the headlight, means for removing the hood from shielding position, and means for controlling said actuating means, and locomotive designating characters carried by said hood and adapted to be in front of the headlight and illuminated thereby when said hood is in shielding position.

6. A cover for locomotive headlights comprising a hood mounted to rotate substantially in a vertical plane, an indicating number thereon, a plate pivoted to the hood and adapted to cover the number printed upon the hood, illuminating means within the hood, and means for rotating the hood from shielding position, the rotation of said hood causing said plate to swing so as to disclose the indicating number when the hood is moved from shielding position.

7 A cover for locomotive headlights comprising a rotatable hood adapted to cover the headlight, designations appearing upon the hood, and a plate rotatably mounted on the hood adapted to cover the designation on the hood when the latter swings from the position of covering the headlight.

8. A cover for locomotive headlights comprising a hood pivotally mounted and adapted to swing in a substantially vertical plane from one side to the other, a designation appearing upon the hood, a plate pIvotally mounted upon the hood adapted to cover the designation when the hood is on one side of a vertical line passing through the pivot of said hood and adapt-ed to swing to disclose the designation when the hood swings to the other side of said vertical line.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

THOMAS J. KELLY.

lVitnesses BEEN A. YEAGER, D101; BEELER.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G. 

